Rising Stars in Dual Enrollment at Seminole State

Photo: Seminole County high school students attend the 2018 Decision Day at Seminole State College of Florida to learn all about what the College offers. 

The students of Seminole State College of Florida bring a wonderful blend of experience, background, talent and aspiration to their academic career. Although each student is a star in their own right, some radiate double the shine power to pursue high school and college degrees – simultaneously.

The Dual Enrollment Program allows qualified students to take college classes and earn credit toward high school and an Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree, Associate in Science (A.S.) degree or a career certificate at the same time.

Through this program, students can experience the challenge of college-level courses while they are still in high school. Dual enrollment students are also eligible to apply for the Grindle Honors Institute at Seminole State College. To be eligible, students must have a 3.2 or higher cumulative, unweighted GPA.

Let’s meet two dual enrollment rising stars, William (Will) Johnson and Kerri Martin.

Will Johnson

Will, 16, is a homeschool student set to graduate high school in 2023. Additionally, he is enrolled in the Dual Enrollment Program on the A.A. degree pathway for computer engineering. Seminole State was enticing to Will and his family because of its solid reputation for academics and its partnership with the University of Central Florida offering DirectConnect to UCF®, a nationally recognized program that provides guaranteed entry* to UCF. 

“I'm interested in computer engineering. A couple of my favorite courses have been Java Programming and Introduction to Engineering. After I graduate from Seminole State, my next journey will be to get a bachelor's degree in engineering and then to complete my master's degree,” says Will.

In his spare time, Will enjoys computer programming, playing the piano, and spending time with family and friends. Will’s father is an engineer, and his work inspires Will to become a great computer engineer of the next generation.

You may have seen Will featured as an Everyday Hero on Spectrum News13 for his recent volunteer work with UCF’s Go Baby Go! Program to help track the movements of cars for children with limited mobility. 

Kerri Martin

From robotics and engineering to entrepreneurship and music, Kerri Martin has her sights on attending Berklee College of Music in Boston – and beyond.

Kerri, a Spring 2021 graduate of Lake Howell High School, Kerri graduated with her high school diploma and an A.A. degree with a focus in business from Seminole State through the Program of Emphasis offered by Seminole County Public Schools at Lake Howell. The Entrepreneurship Program curriculum introduces the broad spectrum of business, industry and small business initiatives. 

“I’ve always loved math so my favorite course was College Algebra, because it was very straightforward. I also loved my Humanities class, which was related to music, because it was super fun to learn about music in other cultures,” says Kerri.

This fall, she will be attending Berklee College of Music in Boston. The A.A. degree not only offered Kerri a chance to complete many course credits, making it more affordable to attend Berklee, but it also offered her a GPA boost that reflected her hard work and dedication during the application process.  

When not in the classroom, Kerri is a singer/songwriter and producer. She writes songs, arranges tracks, and plays a handful of instruments including guitar, piano and viola. At Lake Howell, she participated in choir, jazz band and orchestra while taking her dual enrollment classes.

We’ll be watching as these two Seminole State students #GoFar in the years ahead. 

For more information about Seminole State College and Summer and Fall enrollment, visit seminolestate.edu/go.